ipad 3

One in four iPad buyers are new to Apple's hardware, according to fresh research, with adoption of the iOS tablet growing faster than any other product in the company's history. Although historically the iPod has been the gateway to Apple ownership, in the past two years the PMP's role as gateway drug has been usurped by the iPhone and, increasingly, the iPad, NPD Group's surveying discovered.

This morning we're still swimming in the waves of the oncoming storm that is Samsung's next big release - believe it! We're also well out of the way of the iPad 3, into the wavepool that is the Apple Q2 earnings call, and getting ready for the massive beast that is the iPhone 5. What do you think of that? Then there's computing news as well, Windows 8 of course, can't forget that. And of course there's no knowing what might happen when indoor GPS comes around!

It looks like Apple is still coping with production problems of its Retina display for the new iPad. According to AppleInsider, who spoke with KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Samsung remains the sole supplier of the Retina display with LG and Sharp still struggling to provide screens that will meet Apple's strict standards.

Apple will argue high-speed 3G networks should be officially rebranded as 4G in its Australian battle over iPad WiFi + 4G nomenclature, insisting it's the local carriers at fault rather than it misleading buyers. As reported earlier, Apple filed a defense with the Australian courts over the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) allegations that it had behaved deceptively in calling the new iPad "4G-enabled" when it cannot actually connect to any of the 4G networks in the country. According to Apple, it's time carriers woke up to what 3G networks are capable of.

Apple maintains it did not mislead customers over the 4G capabilities of the new iPad, filing a defense in Australian federal courts this week denying allegations that it was deceptive in its marketing. Having been targeted by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) amid suggestions that buyers in the country were picking up the 4G iPad believing it to be compatible with LTE or WiMAX networks there, only to be disappointed, Apple has fired back with the argument that 4G is more a state of mind than a fixed promise, The Australian reports.

Availability of Apple's new iPad has begun to improve, with new orders of both the WiFi and 4G versions of the third-gen tablet now shipping sooner from Apple's online store. Having been stuck at a 1-2 week delay before delivery since shortly after launch, the new iPad is now listed with a 5-7 business day wait on Apple's US store.

It would appear that sources have confirmed orders coming in from Apple to one Taiwan-based manufacturer for the next generation in iOS device known as the iPad Mini. This of course is not the first we've heard of such a product, and though it's been common knowledge for some time now that Steve Jobs himself said there'd never be an Apple tablet smaller than the classic iPad, but Netease has reported that both Foxconn and Pegatron have received orders to begin construction on a new breed of iPad fitting somewhere in-between the iPhone and the current iPad in any iteration. Could Apple be moving to the next generation where lower prices on the original iPad will no longer cut it?

Sub-$300 Windows 8 and Windows RT tablets are in the pipeline as Microsoft attempts to cut iPad marketshare to under 50-percent by mid-2013, insiders claim, with 32 tablets on the market predicted by the end of this year. HP, Dell, Lenovo, Acer, ASUS and Toshiba are all said to be working on Windows 8 models, presumably using x86 processors, for 2012 so DigiTimes' sources say, with Lenovo and Acer particularly keen to chase the sub-$300 market and rival budget Android-based models.

Logitech has outed its latest accessory for Apple's new iPad, a super-skinny combination Bluetooth QWERTY keyboard and protective cover. The Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover for iPad hooks up to your third-gen slate - as well as the iPad 2 - via a magnetic clasp, and props up the tablet for text entry or video playback. Like Apple's own SmartCovers, it automatically wakes the iPad from sleep mode when opened.

Rumors around Apple's iPad mini refuse to die down, with reports out of Taiwan suggesting the smaller slate is headed to market in Q3 2012 to take on Windows 8 machines as well as further Android models. The new iPad mini will be priced at a strongly competitive $249 to $299 according to NetEase, making it potentially half the price of the current third-gen new iPad.

While those across the United States and Europe have had their hands on the new iPad for quite some time, Apple doesn’t have enough magic to be able to launch the tablet worldwide. Today the company has announced that the new iPad will be available in 21 additional countries starting from April 20th and continuing over the coming weeks.

You might not have noticed it if your Apple sensor is as normalized as your love for great advertising, but billboards, bus stations, and print ads across the United States have finally switched from iPad 2 to the new iPad for 2012. Have a peek back at our report on when the states were still sticking with iPad 2 advertisements to see the oddity the vast majority of the USA didn't find necessary to notice, then take a peek at a few of the new ads up this week. They've been up for a couple weeks, actually, everywhere from Minneapolis all the way down to San Francisco!